I would like to briefly talk about Acts 27-28. As your ready through the Book of Acts, we see the Apostle Paul knows that he is supposed to appear before Caesar at Rome. Paul has faced much opposition and persecution, yet he continues to fight the good fight of faith.
In Acts 27:1-8 we see the voyage begins to Italy from Adramyttium on a grain ship, a seaport of the Roman province of Asia. Luke was likely with them during this voyage since verse 2 says “we were put to sea”. As they start their journey, we see they face difficult winds. In verses, 9-12 Paul warns the crew of the ship that there would be danger ahead since they just finished the Day of Atonement Feast (September/October).
In Acts 27:13-38 we see a great tempest of wind arises and they face many difficulties. The crew realizes they are in trouble. Acts 27:21-26 (NKJV) says, “But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island.”.
Paul explains to them the vision he had from an angel which told him they would make it to Italy so he could appear before Caesar. While the crew on the ship was worried about the present circumstance, Paul stood in faith for God’s promise. Paul could have questioned the angel about God’s promises with doubt based on the present circumstance, but he did not. He walked by faith and not by sight. Paul knew who the God he served was because Paul clearly had an intimate relationship with the Father like every believer should.
In Acts 27:38-44, we see they become shipwrecked in Malta, an island south of Sicily and Italy. Did Paul stop and say, “oh no, the angel of the Lord was wrong.”, no he continued on holding steadfast to God’s promise. We need to get to the place where we are not weighed down instantly by our circumstances. Paul could have easily been weight down and given up, but he did not.
In Acts 28:1-6 we see when they arrive at the island of Malta they are treated with “unusual kindness”. As they were on the island, we see Paul gets a viper on him and shakes it right off and it did not harm him at all. There was not any evidence he got attacked by this viper. Why is this the case? Jesus tells us in Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV), “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”. Then if we look at what Jesus said in Luke 10:19 (NKJV), “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”. This shows us that Paul knew his authority as a believer. Paul didn’t have authority because he was an apostle, he had it because he was a believer and he had revelation knowledge of his authority through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:19-20 (TPT) tells us clearly Paul had the revelation of his authority as a believer, “I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honor and supreme authority in the heavenly realm! And now he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is ever praised, not only in this age, but in the age that is coming!”.
The situation of the viper was not the only example of supernatural gifts flowing in the very last chapter of the Book of Acts. We see in Acts 28:7-10 that they came across a sick man named Publius. Paul laid hands on him, and he recovered. This is an example of Mark 16:17-18 being fulfilled in the early church. Divine healing still occurred in the very last chapter of the Book of Acts despite the fact Luke, the great physician was present. Many people like to say that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit passed away with the Apostles. If these gifts were something that was fading away, why then in the very last chapter of the Book of Acts were there healings taking place? Hebrews 13:8 (TPT) tells us, “Jesus, the Anointed One, is always the same—yesterday, today, and forever.”. If the gifts of the Holy Spirit faded away then it would make Hebrews 13:8 invalid, and I know the God of the Bible is no liar.
Acts 28 ends with Paul finally arriving at Rome and he preaches the Gospel to Rome. This is when the Gospel message officially reaches the Gentiles. We see some people believed the message and some did not. Romans 11:11 (NKJV) tells us, “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.”. Paul knew from the beginning that when he got to Rome, he would bring the Gospel message to the Gentiles. Could Paul have given up on his mission as an Apostle? Sure, but he did not. He pressed on to the reward. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”. Paul did not know how the whole path to Rome would go, he could not rely on what he saw in the natural he had to stand in faith for what he knew was promised.
The Book of Acts should encourage us to press on in faith. Paul did not waiver in doubt, he pressed on. Too many believers today want to throw in the towel when a small trial comes their way. We need to get away from looking at things with our worldly eyes and get ourselves in agreement with what the Word of God says and press on in faith.
Category Archives: 2021
Faith – Seeing it Through
In this blog post, I want to talk about faith. The best definition of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1 (AMP), “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].”. In this particular chapter of Hebrews, we see the great men of God and how they worked with faith in the Old Testament.
I want to focus on one great example of faith and that is the faith of Moses. In the book of Exodus, we see the deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh’s hand. God and Moses both knew Pharaoh was oppressing the people of Israel. In Exodus chapter 3 Moses has a miraculous encounter with God at the sight of the burning bush. God told Moses in Exodus 3:9-10 (NKJV), “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”. Right here Moses was commissioned to submit to God’s plan to be used to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Moses responds in Exodus 3:11 (NKJV), “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”. Right here Moses begins by expressing his doubt to God. How often do we know God has commissioned us to do something or called us to something, and yet let our minds get filled with doubt? It happens all the time, even to the best of us.
God responds to Moses in the next verse, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”. We see throughout the deliverance of Israel that Moses keeps going back and forth with God. As each sign is performed Pharaoh’s heart is hardened more. Moses saw what was going on in front of him, each sign that he performed through Gods anointing Pharaoh’s heart got hardened. It was not after the first plague that the children of Israel were delivered, it took ten plagues.
Moses could have given up after the first two plagues. But both he and his prophet Aaron kept their focus on God’s promise for deliverance. God promised deliverance for the children of Israel. Too often we focus on what is going on before our eyes, rather than what God is doing. We won’t know how it will always play out, but we do know what God’s promises are according to His Word.
Hebrews 11:23-29 (NKJV) tells us, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith, he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”.
We see here how Moses put his faith in God alone. Moses trusted God to be with him, to strengthen him, and to empower him to be used to carry out the deliverance of the children of Israel. It was not because of Moses’ own strength that the children of Israel were delivered, it is because he put his faith in God alone, they were delivered. Aaron and Moses were completely dependent on God during the 10 plagues with Pharaoh.
If we are going to stand on the promises in God’s Word, we must not get focused on what we see before us, but what God’s Word says. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) tells us, “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”. We need to realize what the Word of God promises us rather than depending on the things of this world to fix our problems.
It is time that we as believers learn to stand up and proclaim the promises in God’s Word. We must fully put our trust in God’s sovereign Will, and we can know His Will for our lives if we read His Word. We need to be spending time day and night in God’s Word, in prayer, and in worship. The more we have meditated on the Word of God and feed upon it the greater our faith in His promises will be. You can be a master in the academics associated with God’s Word, however, it is not just head knowledge that matters it is let the Word of God get into your spirit-man and letting your spirit-man dominate the soul and flesh.
A Warning for 2021
As we bring in the New Year many people are making New Year’s resolutions to better themselves. 2020 has been without a doubt, a year unlike any other. 2020 has revealed many people’s true colors, whether for better or for worse. When it comes to the churches in America there is much to learn from 2020.
When the “COVID-19 Pandemic” hit the United States, we began to see the shipwrecked state the church at large is in, especially in the Charismatic circles. Churches that statement of faith states they believe in divine healing and the authority of the believer closed down immediately when ordered to by the government. If you genuinely believe in divine healing and protection, then why close your doors over a virus with a 99% survival rate for most people? I grant that some ministry groups may not own their building they meet in and may have had no other way to meet. However, there are many churches that failed to truly stand for what they believe.
I myself believe in the continuation of all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, along with divine healing. However, I do not like to label myself as a Charismatic or Pentecostal because of how much abuse of the Gifts takes place in these circles. This is not just true when it comes to divine healing, but when it comes to other Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Warfare. For instance, many churches who believe in deliverance ministry still celebrate Halloween in some way in their congregation or in their personal lives. How can we say we do spiritual warfare when we sleep with the devil at the end of October?
I have seen big names like Bethel cancel healing services over this pandemic. If there would be a time to have a healing service, it would be in the middle of a pandemic. We must really discern these big names. Do they really believe what they profess? Or do they operate with a counterfeit Holy Spirit?
Jesus warned us, 1 John 4:1 (NASB) “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”. The church at large has zero sense of discernment. Just because you see a book in a Christian bookstore or someone on Christian TV, does not mean that their message agrees with Scripture.
Sadly, too many people only go to church to only receive something from God. While it is Biblical to pray for people for healing, deliverance, and provision, we cannot neglect people’s greatest need. When we are born we automatically inherit the sin nature from Adam. Sin is what separates man from God. We must make it a priority to deal with the sinner problem. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:23 (NKJV), “but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”. Jesus Christ paid the price for sin, disease, poverty, and death when He was crucified on the Cross and rose from the grave. (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 1 Corinthians 7:23, 1 Peter 2:24, Galatians 3:13, and Titus 2:14).
There are probably far too many people in healing lines who have never truly been born again. If we are going to preach healing and pray over people for healing, we better be sure we also preach about their greatest need. Far too often Charismatics and Pentecostals accuse other denominations of having no move of the Holy Spirit in their churches. You often hear them say if you do not have people praying in tongues or getting healed there is no move of the Holy Spirit. While I agree there is truth to that, at the same time if you only preach about healing and the miraculous and never preach about repentance and the Cross, your church is just as dead if not deader. The full move of the Holy Spirit not only includes the miraculous signs and wonders it also includes ministers being full of the Holy Spirit and preaching messages that bring conviction and cut the heart of both sinners and believers. Jesus tells us about the Holy Spirit in John 16:8 (MSG), “When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.”.
Ministers when you preach include the Full Gospel. Preach the Bible in its context. Yes, there is a place for doing a sermon series on healing or on the Gifts of the Spirit. However, we must stay focused and in balanced. Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV), “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”. I believe this is one of the reasons Jesus warned us the way is narrow, and that few find it. Our culture makes it so easy to get off balanced. Too often people who profess Jesus Christ live a life just like the world. The Christian walk is about constant devotion to prayer, mediating the Word of God, Biblical confession, fasting, worship, and growing in sanctification. We cannot over focus in one area and neglect the other. If you are truly filled with the Spirit of the Living God, then you should have a desire to run from the sin you once loved and run toward the righteousness you once hated. It is nothing in our own strength but relying on Christ in us the moment we become born again.
May 2021 be a year that either we as believers stand up for what we believe in. Do we really believe that Jesus was the same yesterday, today and forever? If so, lets open back up our churches. Why on earth would we sit in the house of God with masks on our faces? What did the Apostles do when government leaders told them to stop preaching in Christ name? Did they submit to the government authorities? No, they continued. I don’t know how any church can properly preach the Full Gospel of Jesus Christ while at the same time shut down in person services for months at a time and/or require wearing masks when in the sanctuary.
If we want a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God in 2021, then we need to stand for what we believe. Our nation needs the Full Gospel brought forth. Not some watered-down seeker friendly Gospel. The true Gospel that saves souls and heals and delivers people I pray that 2021 is the year of clarity for many churches. I pray that churches that continue to preach a false gospel with a counterfeit spirit either repent and turn from their wicked ways or that their ministries crumble. America can not afford another year with false prophets on Christian TV. We need well-balanced preachers on the mainstream! Are you going to stand for truth or you going to keep going along with the flow? Are you going to need peace of mind by getting a shot in your arm this year, or you going to trust in true peace that surpasses all understanding? This year will reveal who is a genuine believer and who is not. I pray that many will truly repent and believe this year!
I pray that God gives you a fresh outpouring of His Spirit today. I pray He sets your heart on fire for Him like never before. I pray that He strengthens you to seek Him daily in all areas of the Christian walk. I pray that He gives you Biblical boldness. I pray that His Spirit strengthens you to be a fruitful believer bearing much good fruit.
God Bless and Happy 2021!